Fertilizer-distributer



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T. R. CRANE. PERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER.

No. 487,719` Patented Deo. 13, 1892.

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Urtrrnn Y STATES PATENT Gruen.

THOMAS R. CRANE, OF HEATHSVILLE, VIRGINIA.

FERTILIZER-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,719, dated December13, 1892.

Application ined naar 4, 1892. saai No. 423,716.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS R. CRANE, a citizen of the United States,lresiding at Heathsville, in the county of Northumberland and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFertilizer-Distributers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fertilizer-distributers foragricultural machines, and has for its object to provide an arrangementwhereby fertilizer containing hard lumps will bethoroughly ground andpulverized before reaching the discharge-openings in the hopper-box.

A further object is to provide means for preventing said discharge-openings becoming closed by fertilizer sticking therein.

With these endsin view the invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter described andclaimed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which-Figure 1 shows a cross-section of the hopper-box on the line 1 1 of Fig.3. Fig. 2 shows a similar cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig.3 shows a top view of a portion of a hopper-box, showing three adjacentdistributers located therein. One part of the view shows the hopper ofthe distributer in plan. The next part shows the mechanism inside thehopper-box on the section-line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and the remaining partshows the hoppershell removed and a plan of the revolving head with asection of the plunger and cutoff plate, taken on line 3a 3 of Fig. 1.Fig. 4 shows a section view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, thehopper-shells appearing in side elevation and broken away at the base.Fig. 5 shows a group of views of a plunger for keeping thedischarge-opening clear.

The letter A designates the hopper-box, which will be suitably locatedon a machine and provided with a row of discharge-openings a in itsbottom. A stirrer-head B works over the bottom of the hopper-boxadjacent to each of said openings and lhas radiating arms a', whichtravel over the discharge-opening and carry the fertilizer thereto. Thehead B is made cone-shaped and provided with ribs c, extending from -theapex downward.

(No model.)

A shell C is tted in the box over this coneshaped head Band is madeconical to conform thereto, as seen at d, which conical part is providedwith ribs c', opposing those on the cone B. The shell contracts overthe'apex of the cone, and above this point comprises a hopper D, withinclined sides e, sloping down to the small openingfover the apex of thecone. The shell is held in place by having flanges g, which iit ingrooves g in the bottom of the hopper-box, and by thumbscrews h, passingthrough flanges t' of the shell at the top part thereof into the sidesof said hopper-box.

Fastened to the side of the hopper-box and above the discharge-opening ais a casing E, and a plunger F has a stemj, which engages through a holein the bottom of said case and also through a guide-piece 7a inside thecase. A spiral spring Z surrounds the stem inside the case and bears atone end against a pin m in the stem and at the other end against saidguide-piece. This spring tends to hold the plunger down. Said plunger isin the form of a box with three sides and the top elosedand theremaining side and bottom open. It is beveled on the under side, asshown at n, and its lowest part normally occupies the discharge-openinga. The upper sides of the stirrer-arms a are beveled, as at n', and itwill be seen that as said arms revolve their Vbeveled sides engage thebeveled under side of the plunger and push the latter up out of theirpath and pass on. As the arms leave the plunger the spring Z throws thelatter down into the opening a, and thus any fertilizer lodging thereinwill be pushed out and the said opening will always be kept clear.

The arms a. carry the fertilizer around to the discharge-openin g,through which it drops,v and the supply to said opening may be regulated bymeans of a cut-off plate G, fitting against the side of the case E andhaving a vertical slot o, through which a thumb-screw p passes into thesaid case. The said plate may be adj usted to cut off the desired amountand locked by means of the thumb-screw.

When fertilizer of such a nature as to require grindingbefore feeding tothe dischargeopening is used, the shell C will be tted in thehopper-box, said shell having an opening IOO q, so that it may receivethe case E. The fertilizer placed in the hopper D works down `around thecone B and is ground and pulverized by the action of the ribs c c", sothat when it reaches the stirrer-arms it is in condition to dischargethrough theopening a.. The cones are revolved by means of any suitablemechanism, such as the gear o' r. (Shown in the drawings.) n

When fertilizer not requiring grinding is used, the shells C may bereadily taken out to give more space.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent .is-

1. The combination of the hoppenbox havinga dischargeopening in itsbottom, a revoluble cone-shaped head working over said bottom and havingradial stirrer-arms to pass over said openings, and a shell comprising aconical part to t over the cone-shaped head, and a hopper above thesame, said conical part and the cone-shaped head having ribs,substantially as described.

2. The combination of the hopper-box having a discharge-opening in itsbottom, a revoluble head Working over said bottom and having radial armsto pass over said dischargeopening, a vertically-sliding plunger locatedat the discharge-opening and engaging in the same and having a steinwhichts through a suitable guide, said plunger arranged to be movedupward and out of the said opening` by the radial arms on the revolvinghead, and a spring on the plunger-stem to return said plunger into thedischarge-opening after a radial arm has passed, in the manner and forthe purpose described.

3. The combination ot the hopper-box having a discharge-opening in itsbottom, a revoluble cone-shaped head Working over said bottom and havingradial arms to pass over said discharge-opening, said arms beveled onthe upper side, a case secured to the side of the box, a plunger havinga stem to slide through said case, said plunger engaging in the`discharge-opening and having a beveled under side for contact with theradial stirrerarms, a spring on the plunger-stem to hold the plungerdown, and a vertically-adjustable cut-olf plate on the exterior ot' theplungercase.

In testimony Whereofl, aiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS R. CRANE, Witnesses:

J No. T. MADDOX. F. PARKER DAvIs.

